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ASSET Inc. and. Science: It’s Elementary. Introduction. Located in Pittsburgh Part of National Science Education reform through NSRC as a LASER site. Brief History. 1992 Bayer convened group to initiate science education reform 1994 ASSET becomes independent nonprofit
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ASSET Inc.and Science: It’s Elementary
Introduction • Located in Pittsburgh • Part of National Science Education reform through NSRC as a LASER site
Brief History 1992 Bayer convened group to initiate science education reform 1994 ASSET becomes independent nonprofit 1995-98 NSF grant sfor Professional Development serving 30 School Districts 2001 Transition to fee for service 2006 Pending legislative approval expanding through Science: It’s Elementary
Current Status 48 school districts, charter and private schools 2,500+ prepaid professional development participants 6,000 kits delivered per year 125,000 students impacted per year Growing number of university and community partners
National Model for Science Reform Quality hands-on curriculum materials Materials Support Center Effective Professional Development Assessment Community Support
Beliefs for Teaching of Science • Children need to experience science • Children need to engage in hands-on activities • Children need to be problem solvers • Children need to be THINKERS
ASSET Provides • Curriculum Materials for grades K-8 • Professional Development • More than 100 opportunities in the form of courses, institutes, and colloquia • R&D to develop new products and services, eg Science Notebooks, Environment & Ecology toolboxes • Partnerships • Universities • Regional resources • Corporations
Characteristics of Ongoing PD • Teachers teaching teachers • Directly related to standards-based curriculum • Driven by research-based effective classroom practices
Science: It’s Elementary • Expansion of the K-6 ASSET Model • Introductory Institutes in partnership with NSRC • Up to 150 School Districts/Schools or + 1,400 teachers • Evaluation by Horizon Research Inc.